Echoes of Late
by mutt
Summary: What happens when closets suddenly reveal secrets held within? (pertains to HEAVEN and DARK ANGEL up until Heaven's sophomore yr in college)


A/N: Okay, this is basically a rough draft that I can NOT seem to reword. If anybody has a clue on the legal terms/language etc. of wills then PLEASE correct me cause this prologue sucks :) The content is fine... it's supposed to be vague but telling, I just think it needs a great deal of rewording.  
  
Also, fellow VCA fanfiction writers: Check out my profile page for details on the Foxworth Curse writing contest I'm hosting ;)  
  
Echoes of Late prologue  
  
ADDENDUM TO THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ANTHONY LANGDON TATTERTON. TO BE OPENED ON THE EVENT OF TROY LANGDON TATTERTON'S TWENTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY.  
  
Because of events that have unfolded in the last four years, I am afraid that it has become crucial that I leave this behind. I know my time here on Earth is coming to an end, thus I am thinking ahead to when I will be able to do nothing but watch. Those close to me know that I cannot merely be a spectator, especially with a game as important as this, so here I play my final hand.  
  
My little Troy, it awes me to think of you as a man when you are hardly more than a mere babe in my arms... as I write this you are here at my feet, playing with colorful wooden blocks. I often sit and watch you for hours just pondering the possibilities of your future. You have such talent in your plump little hands, such dedication in your every task, such love for life... I smile just thinking of the wonders you will bestow. Make no mistake about it, you, my little one, are my life. You are my pride, you are my heart, you are my dream come true. I am sorry for laying this misery on your shoulders and casting a shadow on a day such as the celebration of your birth, but it has to be done, son. It has to be done.  
  
Please forgive me.  
  
On this day of days I instruct that my only son, Townsend Anthony Tatterton, be stripped of his inheritance which includes his title as president and owner of Tatterton Toys, his bank accounts, and Farthinggale Manor and all it contains. I wish for him to be in no way related to any of the future affairs of my family heritage, most specifically with the Tatterton Toys Empire. All ownership shall immediately be transferred to my true heir, my grandson, Troy Langdon Tatterton, to do with as he sees fit.  
  
Furthermore, I hereby demand that none of my son's heirs ever be privileged with my worth. The Tatterton lineage shall be carried on through Troy and Troy alone. In the event that Troy does not produce an heir, then upon his death, I wish the estate to be liquidated and divided equally amongst our faithful servants and caretakers and their families.  
  
Now that the business end has been dealt with, I have but one remaining gift to reveal. Troy, I set this for your twenty-fifth birthday for three reasons. The first being that I wanted to give you the chance to live your life to the fullest, without the responsibility of a company to run, even if only for a few years. Second, I needed to make sure you were old enough to appreciate this inheritance and give it your best. You already show great intellect at this young age, but I fear that your zest for life will leave you disgruntled if given too much too soon. Lastly, I simply wanted to spare you for as long as I could. What I have to say next is not easy for me and will be hard for you to bare, but please know that I am telling you the truth for your own sake.  
  
The man you have grown up believing to be your father. is not. The man you have grown up believing to be your brother. is not. I fear the only tie you can cling to is that of your mother. Isabel was and always will be your mother, in all ways.  
  
Sadly my own son denied me my rightful place as your father. Nearly four years ago my son, my own son, brutally raped and tortured my wife, his mother... your mother. How she survived I'll never know. Nor will I know how you managed to come into existence in that broken body and stay alive. A child cannot be expected to carry the burden of his creation, and knowing this, your dear mother loved you no less than any child of her womb. I, too, loved you like you were my own. In God's book, you are my grandchild, but in my heart you will always be my son. As I said, you are my pride, my joy, my heart, my everything. It pains me to think of how you will grow up. Anthony had best pray to our heavenly father that he has done right by you and caused you no great pain...  
  
I have spared you the gruesome details surrounding your conception; I cannot bring myself to tell you but please know that my last gift to you was not done out of hatred or vengeance. It is purely of love and well intent. I only want the best for you, Troy. I only want you to have a life free of deception and shadows. That is why I gave you this.  
  
May all your days be filled with sunshine my little one.  
  
****  
  
"Troy-" Tony started.  
  
"I expect you and yours to have vacated the premises before sunset." Troy quickly informed him, the seldom-used note of hostility present in his whisper.  
  
"And don't even think about taking one thing of my papa's."  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
Hint: I can't improve it without reviews ;) 


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